Akt, a serine/threonine protein kinase, is constitutively phosphorylated and hyperactivated in multiple cancers, including acute myeloid leukemia. High levels are linked to poor survival and inferior responses to chemotherapy, making Akt inhibition an attractive therapeutic target. In this phase I/II study of TCN-PM, a small-molecule Akt inhibitor, TCN-PM therapy was well tolerated in patients with advanced hematological malignancies, and reduced levels of phosphorylation of Akt and its substrate Bad were shown, consistent with inhibition of this survival pathway and induction of cell death. Further investigation of TCN-PM alone or in combination in patients with high Akt levels is warranted.
Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00642031.
Keywords: AML; Akt; Nucleoside analog; Phase I clinical trial; Triciribine.
Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.